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Informational guide

How to apply for Community Long Term Care in SC

Step 1: Contact SCDHHS intake (the referral)

Call the CLTC referral line at (888) 971-1637, or submit the SCDHHS electronic referral form at phoenix.scdhhs.gov/cltc_referrals/new. You can also call the CLTC area office for the person's county. The full walkthrough, including what the online form asks for, is on how to make a CLTC referral.

Sources: CLTC Brochure (May 2023); SCDHHS CLTC Addresses. Checked Oct. 20, 2026.

Step 2: The assessment

SCDHHS screens the referral against its intake criteria. Applicants who meet them get an initial assessment from a state nurse consultant or a state-licensed social worker. The assessment uses the South Carolina Nursing Home Level of Care Criteria. Before enrollment, SCDHHS staff verify financial eligibility, level of care, and the person's choice to receive services at home instead of in an institution. What the assessment looks at is explained on who qualifies for CLTC.

Source: Community Choices Waiver Renewal Application (July 1, 2026), Appendices B-6 and B-7. Checked Oct. 20, 2026.

Step 3: Apply for Healthy Connections Medicaid (if not already enrolled)

SCDHHS says that if care will be at home, you should contact Healthy Connections about getting a CLTC determination before completing the Medicaid application. Ways to apply:

• Online at apply.scdhhs.gov. SCDHHS calls its online application "the easiest way to apply." Some account features require an ID.me login. Applying, submitting an annual review, and uploading requested documents can be done without one.
• On paper. SCDHHS Form 3401, "Application for Nursing Home, Residential or In-Home Care," is the form for nursing home, waiver services, or Optional State Supplementation. Check "Waiver Services."
• By email to [email protected], by mail to SCDHHS-Central Mail, P.O. Box 100101, Columbia, SC 29202-3101, or in person at your county office. The Getting Started page also lists federally qualified rural health centers and most hospitals as places to apply in person.
• Help with the application. Call the Healthy Connections Member Contact Center at (888) 549-0820 (TTY 888-842-3620). SCDHHS also points applicants to SC Thrive for free help filling out the application.

Sources: Program Eligibility and Income Limits; Getting Started; Form 3401 (July 2024). Checked Oct. 20, 2026.

What to have ready

This list comes from what SCDHHS's Getting Started page and Form 3401 ask for. It's not a complete official checklist. SCDHHS will send a list if it needs more.

• Date of birth and Social Security number for the applicant. Form 3401 says SCDHHS can help apply for an SSN.
• For non-citizens applying for full Medicaid benefits: USCIS documents, such as an I-551 (Green Card) or I-94.
• Income information. Form 3401 says "you may have to give us proof of income for the past 4 weeks." It also lists benefits such as Social Security, SSI, pensions, and VA benefits. If anyone is self-employed, include their most recent federal tax returns.
• Bank account balances and other resources: checking, savings, CDs, retirement accounts, life insurance, burial funds, vehicles, and annuities. "You may be asked to send in proof of the assets you tell us about."
• Anything sold or given away in the past five years, and where the applicant lived in the past five years. Form 3401 asks both.
• Monthly rent or mortgage, utility bills, and any current health coverage. These are on the Getting Started list.
• If someone else will handle the application, Form 3401 includes an Authorized Representative form (DHHS Form 1282).

Sources: Getting Started; Form 3401 (July 2024). Checked Oct. 20, 2026.

How long it takes

• Medicaid decision. Form 3401 says: "You should receive a letter within 45 days from the date we receive your application to tell you if you are eligible. If you need a disability determination, it may take up to 90 days." The clock depends on SCDHHS having everything it needs. "If we do not have everything we need, you will get a list of what you need to send us."
• Referral, assessment, and start of services. Official pages checked for this guide don't publish a timeline for a callback, an assessment, or a service start, so none is given.
• Openings. SCDHHS's Community Choices waiver application says that when slots are available outside reserved capacity, "individuals will be admitted to the waiver on a first-come, first-served basis by date of application."

Sources: Form 3401 (July 2024); Community Choices Waiver Renewal Application (July 1, 2026), Appendix B-3. Checked Oct. 20, 2026.

After approval: choosing a provider

If the person is enrolled, a service plan lists their services. When it's time to choose a provider, SCDHHS staff or the case manager shares a list of all qualified providers, printed in random order "to ensure that choice is not related to name or position." Participants can call providers with questions, and they can ask to change providers later.

Source: Community Choices Waiver Renewal Application (July 1, 2026), Appendix D-1(f). Checked Oct. 20, 2026.

FAQ

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